NJF TeamLocated in the city centre of Barcelona there is a shop which is unique and has its own style. It is hidden in the small streets of Barrio Gótico’s neighbourhood, but still easy to find. Röa has many different designers within the store; all items are made in Barcelona. Carolina, the owner of Röa, often goes to several markets to seek out new items to show. She also has a lot of designer friends which are interested in showing their clothes in her shop. Carolina loves oversized clothes which loosely and casually hang around your body. All the clothes are made from natural fabrics like silk, cotton, and viscose.
Carolina is a fashion designer from Chile, although she has been living in Spain for twenty years now. First, she lived in Andalusia for ten years while working at different stores. Later on, she had the chance to come to Barcelona where she’s been living for already ten years. The name ‘Röa’, is due to her second last name, her mother´s last name who is Scandinavian. Carolina opened Röa in October last year. The style of the clothing is minimal, simple, and all the garments are made of natural fabrics.
The shop consists of a mix of designer brands all made in Barcelona. A few names of the designers are: Note, Ika, Nayde, Zagv and Visionario. She chooses the items herself focused on the search of pieces of clothing with the same kind of style produced with natural fabrics. There is one other kind of brand which is called ‘ItRock’. It’s more chic and inspired by Ibiza.
Every week or month she receives a lot of new stuff from different brands. On the other hand, she receives a large batch of clothing at every change of season. Röa is unique because Carolina has a good assortment of brands from Barcelona’s young designers. Carolina describes her store as small, minimal, and cozy.
Carolina’s favourite piece is a black long jacket made from silk. It has a giant hood, so when you’re in the mood to hide yourself from everyone, it’s perfect. “This piece is special for me because I have never seen anything like it. The fabric is silk and feels very soft. It fits very well!”.
Her buyers are especially people from the United States and Nordic countries. Most of these approach to the store because they are attracted by the name of it which is the same one as a place close to Oslo. When they come in they feel identified with the style of the clothing. In addition, there are also clients from Japan and Morocco who love oversized pieces.
What has been your biggest challenge so far? “My biggest challenge so far is to have brands that are expensive. I do not compete with low-cost stores. The objective is to have a space for all the people who love independent design made in Barcelona.”
And what has been your biggest success so far? “My biggest success is when people come in and they flip out. From foreign people who come back for the clothing, to girls that come in excited calling their parents to lend them money to buy their favourite piece. I love to see them happy”.
What do you think about the fashion industry in Barcelona? “I feel it has dropped a lot due to low-cost stores. Nevertheless, it has been a long time now and people are returning to the small stores since they are bored to see everyone wearing the same, and prefer having one good piece of clothing than five bad ones. I feel that a new era for young designers is about to start. I trust in it”.
In your opinion, what are the trends in fashion for next year? “Regarding colour, I think that red will be in. Not bordeaux but an Italian vibrant one, along with other earth colours: beige, brown. Regarding style, I think that lots of 70´s frills and squared shirts will be used. However, even though I can take a look at trends, my style will always be the same”.
Carolina is in constant search of new designers. Also, her idea would be to locate the store at an important street of Barcelona to be at a more visible place.
Discover more visiting the store at Comtessa de Sobradiel, 9.